Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe by Nicholas Alencar

Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe by Nicholas Alencar is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Umha A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Ailtireachd, Togalaichean agus Structaran Competition Category.

UmhaAiltireachd· 2026

Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe

by Nicholas Alencar

Client: Alencar

Duais Umha A' Design Award Winner in Ailtireachd Category

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The Design

About Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe

Téacs Leabhair: Is foirgneamh cónaithe seacht n-aonad é Kaiserstrasse in Blumenau, an Bhrasaíl, a shainmhíníonn cónaí uirbeach as an nua trí phríobháideacht tí a chumasc le buntáistí na tithíochta ingearaí. Osclaíonn gach árasán urláir iomláin amach chuig ardáin fhairsinge, linnte snámha príobháideacha, agus plandálaithe comhtháite, ag athrú an aghaidh ina ghairdín ingearach. Tugann an t-urlár íochtair oscailte cuireadh d'idirghníomhaíocht leis an gcathair, agus tairgeann an díon comhchoiteann áineas roinnte agus radharcanna panoramacha, ag cothromú príobháideachta, pobail, agus inbhuanaitheachta.

The Recognition

About the Duais Umha A' Design Award

Tha Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe air Duais Umha A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh gu math urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean sònraichte a tha air an comharrachadh le cruthachalachd, innleachd agus geurchuis. Tha buannaichean Umha nan obraichean gu math sgileil agus gu sònraichte cruthachail a dhearbhas eòlas farsaing, mac-meanmna agus tapachd an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe na nì air a bheil mòran meas, ion-mholta agus gràdhach, a tha gu sònraichte proifeiseanta agus ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Umha A' Design Award a' cur nan cleachdaidhean as fheàrr ann an ealain, saidheans, dealbhadh agus teicneolas an gnìomh, agus tha e sàr-mhath airson an aire do mhion-fhiosrachadh. Bidh Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe a' sàsachadh fheumalachdan gu h-iongantach, a' suathadh ri miannan, a' tàladh faireachdainnean agus a' togail fiosrachd.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Kaiserstrasse is a seven-unit residential building that redefines urban housing by blending the privacy and richness of a house - verandas, courtyards, vegetation - with the advantages of vertical living. Each unit occupies a full floor, with private outdoor spaces and mature trees growing from the slabs. Located on a historic avenue once lined with villas, the building uses parametric design to create stepped, dynamic forms that maximize natural light and airflows.
Dimensions & Packaging: Total built area: 4,973 square meters. The building rises with a stepped form, housing seven full-floor apartments with terraces, private pools, and integrated vegetation. Structure: cast-in-place reinforced concrete. Façade: floor-to-ceiling glazing with brise-soleils. Features include natural cross ventilation, smart irrigation, and communal rooftop amenities.
Tags: Residential, Building, Architecture, Brazil, Residential Building, Residential Architecture, Vertical Garden, Parametric Design, Adaptive Layout, Private Pools
Production Technology: The project was realized through cast-in-place reinforced concrete combined with integrated planters in the slabs. Parametric design tools guided solar and ventilation studies, ensuring environmental performance. Structural cores and minimized internal load-bearing walls enabled open, adaptable layouts. Local, durable materials with low embodied carbon were prioritized.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge was reconciling strict setback regulations with the desire for generous terraces and openness. Instead of limiting the design, the rules shaped its sculpted form. Additional challenges included integrating mature trees into structural slabs, balancing privacy with community, and ensuring sustainability with local construction techniques.
Research: Applied architectural research focused on integrating house-like qualities into high-density housing. Objectives included maximizing light, ventilation, and biodiversity. Methods: solar studies, parametric modeling, and structural experimentation. Data came from environmental simulations and code interpretation. Results: adaptable layouts, reduced energy demand, and a façade as a living vertical garden. Insights highlight sustainable, community-oriented urban housing.
Inspiration: The project was inspired by the historic avenue once lined with villas, where gardens and verandas defined daily life. The motive was to reinterpret these qualities—privacy, openness, vegetation—within a vertical structure, blending the comfort of a private house with the convenience of urban apartment living. Strict setback regulations also shaped the building’s sculpted, stepped form.
Project Duration: The project started in 2020 in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and was completed in March 2025. Located on Alameda Rio Branco, one of the city’s most historic avenues, the building embodies a contemporary reinterpretation of the street’s traditional villas while proposing a new vision for urban living.
Operation Flow: Each resident experiences the privacy of a house with the benefits of collective living. Apartments flow seamlessly from interior to large terraces and pools, creating indoor-outdoor living. The open ground floor reconnects the building with the city, while the shared rooftop offers leisure and gathering space, encouraging community interaction.
Image Credits: Image #1: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #2: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #3: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #4: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #5: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025